by Arjun Wadhwa

Created on: July 31, 2009

When you carpool, most of the seats in the car are occupied. This means that there are lives at risk. To avoid accidents, you must use all the safety tips.

Here are safety tips for carpool

Seat belts

All the seat belts in car must be working, if all the seats are going to be occupied. Surveys, and studies have shown that drivers and passengers that wear seat belts have a higher chance of survival after an accident. This is a simple safety tip that many drivers and passengers fail to follow. With more passengers in the car, the damage done by the accident can be severe. If one person is not wearing a seat belt, he/she can suffocate the rest of the passengers after the accident. This is why each and every passenger should wear a seat belt.

Keep away from distractions

During a carpool, there are a lot of passengers in the car. This means that conversations and the loud noises in the car can distract the drvier easily. This is why it is important for the driver to keep away from all these distractions. You can tell the passengers in the car to be quiet, or make them all sit on the back of the car (if you have SUV). The driver is not the only person responsible for accidents. If the passenger distracts the driver, then he/she is equally responsible for any accident.

Avoid loud music

Many youngsters carpool to go to parties. They like to listen to loud music in the car, but this can be a distraction. If the driver is uncomfortable, and cannot drive and listen to the music at the same time, then the passenger should respect the driver. Do not listen to loud music to avoid being distracted. This is a common distraction, which leads to many accidents.

Don't drink and drive

Like it was mentioned before; more lives are at risk when you carpool. If the driver is drunk, then another driver should take over. If all the passengers and driver are drunk, then someone should call a taxi. The driver should avoid drinking any alcohol, because he/she is responsible for taking everyone else home. The passengers should also avoid getting drunk. The driver cannot handle every single passenger while they are drunk. This is why you should support the driver, and not get drunk.

Switch drivers

You can also switch drivers, if the first driver is feeling tired. Make sure that both the drivers have insurance to drive the car. Do not drive a car, unless your name is mentioned in the insurance.

These are some safety tips for carpool. Always follow safety tips, and drive as safe as possible.

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